Many RNA viruses encode helicases to aid their RNA genome replication and transcription by unwinding structured RNA. Being naturally fused to a protease participating in viral polyprotein processing, the NS3 helicases encoded by the Flaviviridae family viruses are quite unique. Therefore, how these two enzyme modules coordinate in a single polypeptide is of particular interest.
Flavivirus pathogens are taxonomically classified in the genus Flavivirus and family Flaviviridae. These viruses comprise over 70 different pathogens such as Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), Zika virus (ZIKV), dengue virus (DENV), West Nile virus (WNV), and yellow fever virus (YFV). Most flaviviruses are arthropod-borne and cause public health problems worldwidely. However, flavivirus-induced...
Congenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is one of the most common causes of neurological disabilities in children. However, the relationship between Hes1 regulation and virus infection, in particular whether and how HCMV regulates Hes1, remained unknown. In the present study, the research group led by Prof. LUO Minhua from Wuhan Institute of Virology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences...
RNAi is an evolutionarily conserved post-transcriptional gene silencing mechanism in eukaryotes, and has been well recognized as an antiviral immunity in fungi, plants, and invertebrates. In the process of antiviral RNAi, viral dsRNA replicative intermediates generated during RNA virus replication are recognized and processed by Dicer into siRNAs. These virus-derived siRNAs (vsiRNAs) are then t...
